Baseball Card Adventures - Abner and Me

Joe goes back in time to see if Abner Doubleday really invented baseball.

Gr. 5-8. Joe Stoshack knows that he can travel back in time when he holds the right baseball card. Now he wants to see if Abner Doubleday really invented baseball (he did not, of course), but this time it's a photo of Civil War general Doubleday that sends Stosh and his nurse mom back in history--to the Battle of Gettysburg. Before pulling out a card to get home, Stosh gets to see Union soldiers playing a pickup game, with different rules and antique, but quite recognizable nomenclature. Gutman reports on the battle matter-of-factly, even as the boy's mom saves a life in the hellish hospital quarters after the battle. Her quest to save Lincoln via time travel does not fare so well. Although lightweight for its heavy topic, fans of the Baseball Card Adventure series will still want to read this one. An author's note separates fact from fiction.